Now, we all survived the end of support for Windows XP with the only damage being seen in our bank accounts and maybe a file or two missing. Another apocalypse to overcome within the next year is the support for Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2. On July 14, 2015, Microsoft ended extended support for these operating systems in less than a year.

This is nothing to panic about, but now is the perfect time to start the migration process if you are still using Windows Server 2003 infrastructure. Microsoft started to warn customers about the ending support when Microsoft Server 2003 went into extended support in 2010. This means no more updates and patches coming from Microsoft.

Now, we all survived the end of support for Windows XP with the only damage being seen in our bank accounts and maybe a file or two missing. Another apocalypse to overcome within the next year is the support for Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2. On July 14, 2015, Microsoft ended extended support for these operating systems in less than a year.

This is nothing to panic about, but now is the perfect time to start the migration process if you are still using Windows Server 2003 infrastructure. Microsoft started to warn customers about the ending support when Microsoft Server 2003 went into extended support in 2010. This means no more updates and patches coming from Microsoft.

There will also be a loss of compliance to data centers running the OS. There are plenty of Windows options to migrate to, like Windows Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012, and 2012 R2. Maybe your business no longer needs a server. Now is the time to assess server infrastructure and make a plan for the future.

Microsoft has provided a four-step process on their website to help companies migrate:

1. Discover
2. Assess
3. Target
4. Migrate

Microsoft also has released a tool to help companies start planning the migration at http://migrationplanningassistant.azurewebsites.net.

Why is all this end of support happening recently? Well, it is all part of Microsoft’s Support Life Cycle policy. Microsoft Support Life Cycle is a policy that provides consistent, predictable guidelines for product support availability when a product releases and throughout its life.

This allows customers to maximize the management of IT investments and plan for future IT success. The policy applies to most products currently available through retail purchase or volume licensing and most future release products. The policy includes:

• Ten years of support (5 years mainstream and 5 years extended) at the supported service pack level for business, developer, and desktop operating system products.
• Five years of mainstream support at service pack level for consumer and multimedia products.
• Four years of mainstream support for consumer hardware products.

Mainstream support is the first phase of the product lifecycle. It includes:

• Incident support (no-charge, paid, charged on an hourly basis, warranty claim support)
• Security update support
• The ability to request non-security hotfixes

Extended support is the phase that follows mainstream support for business, developer, and desktop operating systems. It includes:

• Paid support
• Security update support at no additional cost
• Non-security related hotfix support requires a separate extended hotfix support agreement to be purchased (per fix fees apply). This agreement is not available for Desktop Operating System consumer products.

Thinking about Microsoft Support Life Cycle, now is the perfect time to upgrade a Windows Server 2003 machine if you still want to get the most out of it. Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows Server 2003 on July 14, 2015. Contact Certified Network Systems to start planning migration today.